White Revolution 2.0: Boosting Milk Production and Women-Led Dairy Cooperatives

Union Minister for Home and Cooperation discussed White Revolution 2.0 in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

About White Revolution 2.0

• It is an initiative aimed at boosting milk production while promoting women’s empowerment and addressing malnutrition.
• White Revolution 2.0 focuses on four priority areas:
  • Women’s Empowerment
    • Aims to empower women milk farmers by integrating them into formal economic systems.
    • Strengthen women-led dairy institutions and Self-Help Group (SHG) linkages.
  • Enhancing Local Milk Production
    • The initiative aims to increase milk procurement by dairy cooperatives by 50 per cent over the next five years.
    • Target to increase cooperative-led milk procurement from 660 lakh kg per day to 1,007 lakh kg per day.
  • Strengthening Dairy Infrastructure
    • Large-Scale Cooperative Development: White Revolution 2.0 includes setting up and strengthening around 1.20 lakh new and existing cooperative institutions, including
      • Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS)
      • Multipurpose Dairy Cooperative Societies (M-DCS)
      • Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (M-PACS)
  • Boosting Dairy Exports.
    • Target to increase India’s share in global milk production from one-fourth to one-third by 2030.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Cooperation
• Implementing Support: Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), and State Dairy Federations.
• Funding: Activities under White Revolution 2.0 are being funded through the National Dairy Development Programme 2.0 (NPDD 2.0) under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• Coverage Expansion Plans:
  • New Cooperatives in Uncovered Areas: The programme proposes setting up 75,000 new Dairy Cooperative Societies in uncovered regions.
  • Strengthening Existing Cooperatives: Around 46,422 existing DCSs will be strengthened to improve market access, income opportunities, and nutritional availability

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Dairy Sector in India

• Global Position:
  • India has remained the world’s largest milk producer since 1998 (25% of global milk output), ahead of the USA and Pakistan.
  • Total Milk Production reached 247.87 million tonnes (2024–25), registering a 3.58% rise over 239.30 million tonnes (2023–24).
  • New Zealand is the largest exporter of dairy products, while China is the world’s largest dairy importer.
    • India ranks 49th in milk exports, indicating limited export penetration.
• Per Capita Availability: Increased from 319 g/day (2014–15) to 485 g/day (2024–25).
• Top Milk-Producing States: As per Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2025, leading milk producers are Uttar Pradesh (15.66%), Rajasthan (14.82%), Madhya Pradesh (9.12%), Gujarat (7.78%), Maharashtra (6.71%)
• Contribution to Agricultural GDP: The milk group (milk, ghee, butter, lassi) contributed nearly 40% of the total output value from the agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishing sector in 2022–23.

Dairy Cooperatives in India

• Dairy cooperatives operate across nearly 70% of India’s districts, reflecting wide institutional reach.
• As of 2025, India’s cooperative dairy ecosystem comprises: 22 milk federations, 241 district cooperative unions, 28 marketing dairies and 25 Milk Producer Organisations (MPOs).
• Together, they cover about 2.35 lakh villages and have 1.72 crore dairy farmers as members
• States with strong cooperative penetration include: Gujarat, Maharastra, Kerala, Sikkim, Puducherry
• Over 48,000 women-led cooperatives and 16 all-women MPOs operate under NDDB Dairy Services
  • The all-women Shreeja MPO (Andhra Pradesh) is a leading example of empowerment.
• Examples of Multi state Dairy cooperatives:
  • Kamdhenu Dairy Multi State Co-operative Society Limited
  • Nature Delight Multi State Cooperative Dairy & Agro Products Ltd.

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Other Government Initiatives for the Dairy Sector

• Rashtriya Gokul Mission (2014): Launched to promote, conserve, and scientifically develop indigenous bovine breeds for improving milk productivity.
• National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) (2014): Aims to strengthen infrastructure for quality milk production, procurement, processing, and marketing through State Implementing Agencies.
• Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP) (2019): Provides financial assistance to States/UTs for vaccination against major diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, and Classical Swine Fever (CSF), and supports ASCAD for control of emerging and zoonotic diseases.
• National Artificial Insemination Programme (NAIP) (2019): Promotes scientific breeding through artificial insemination to improve productivity and prevent the spread of reproductive/genital diseases in livestock. Under this Programme, free insemination services are provided at the farmers doorstep.
• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) (2020): Set up under AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to support dairy processing, value addition, and infrastructure creation.
• National Livestock Mission (NLM) (2014-15): Promotes sustainable growth in the livestock sector with focus on employment generation, entrepreneurship, higher per-animal productivity, and increased output of milk, meat, eggs, and wool.

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